ISLAMABAD, Oct 23: Students of Quaid-i-Azam University on Sunday continued their protest against the killing of their colleague in a road accident and the release of the car driver from police custody on Saturday night.

However, the Secretariat police said they have booked a naval officer, his two subordinates and a police head constable for getting the accused driver released.

Zaheer Lakho, the student of third semester of mathematics department, sustained leg fractures and fatal head injuries after being hit by a car (RIE-2607) driven by Wasim Iqbal on Saturday.

“The car driver was captured right from the scene of the accident and handed over to the Secretariat police for further legal proceeding. However, instead of initiating legal proceeding against him, the police allowed him to go,” Mohammad Asif, one of the protesting students, told Dawn.

Earlier, the police were reluctant to register a case against Navy lieutenant Ismail Laghari, his two subordinates Sajid Ali and Said Rasool and constable Attiqur Rehman involved in the release of the driver; however, later they bowed to the protesting students and booked them on the charges of illegally getting the accused person freed from the police custody and obstructing in the official affairs.

However, none of the accused nominated in the FIR has been arrested by the police so far.

Mohammad Asif, the student of 2nd semester at QAU, said in his FIR registered with the Secretariat police that Zaheer Lakho, one of their senior colleagues who belonged to Sukhur, was strolling on the premises of the university when the car knocked him down.

He said after handing the car driver over to the police, he along with his fellows shifted the injured to hospital but the police released him.

Asif said: “Lt Ismail Leghari along with his two subordinates Sajid Ali and Said Rasool came to the police station and forcibly took away the accused driver from head constable Attiqur Rehman's custody.”

When the station house officer Inspector Hakim Khan was contacted, he said a case had been registered against the navel officer and the head constable but the students continued their protest.

“Police are continuing raids to arrest the accused driver and soon he would be arrested,” Inspector Hakim said.

A large number of QAU students gathered at Radio Pakistan Chowk on Sunday afternoon and continued their protest demanding the immediate arrest of the accused nominated in the FIR and strict departmental action against the SHO and other police officials for releasing the accused driver.

The students said they would stage a big protest in front of the President House and Supreme Court building on Monday morning and would continue their protest till their demands were accepted.

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